Social Science & Medicine

Social Science & Medicine provides an international interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of social science research on health. We publish original research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews, position papers and commentaries on health issues, to inform current research, policy and practice in all areas of common interest to social scientists, health practitioners, and policy makers. The journal publishes material relevant to any aspect of health from a wide range of social science disciplines (anthropology, economics, epidemiology, geography, policy, psychology, and sociology), and material relevant to the social sciences from any of the professions concerned with physical and mental health, health care, clinical practice, and health policy and organization.

All papers should be of broad interest to the international audience of general social science readers.

The journal publishes the following types of contribution:

Invited commentaries and responses debating, and published alongside, selected articles. Uninvited commentaries are not normally considered by any office.

Office Descriptions

Authors will need to select their preferred Office when submitting to Social Science & Medicine. Please refer to the descriptions below to identify the most appropriate Office and to identify the types of paper that they will consider:

Medical Anthropology (Senior Editor, Alex Brewis)

Topics:

The Medical Anthropology office welcomes papers related to the cultural, structural, linguistic, ecological, biocultural, evolutionary, ethical, or pedagogical contexts of health and (health care) wellbeing in a complex and globalized world.

Methods:

The Medical Anthropology office prioritizes theoretically-situated submissions using qualitative, quantitative, mixed, applied, and/or coproduced methodologies.

Outside of scope:

n/a

Health Economics (Senior Co-Editors Joanna Coast & Richard Smith)

Topics:

The Health Economics office welcomes papers concentrating on the allocation of scarce resources in relation to health and health care, including primary, secondary, tertiary and community health and care systems, as well as papers that focus on economic aspects of public health.

Methods:

The Health Economics office will consider empirical papers using quantitative or qualitative methods, or a mix of the two, alongside economic or other theory relevant to resource allocation. Innovative methodological or theoretical papers must be clearly focused across both health and healthcare and economics.

Outside of scope:

Papers using econometric methods to explore questions unrelated to resource allocation and health or ‘data mining’, and those with a narrow domestic or clinical focus are not considered suitable for the health economics office.

Social Epidemiology (Senior Co-Editors Arjumand Siddiqi & Jackie Hughto)

Topics:

The Social Epidemiology office welcomes papers related to the social distributions and determinants of health, particularly those that engage richly with social conditions and processes in relation to health and, particularly those that center population-level inferences.

Methods:

The Social Epidemiology office will consider primarily quantitative and mixed-methods research. Qualitative methods will occasionally be considered if they engage with population-level inferences. We are interested in the use of social science methodologies to understand social conditions and social processes linked to health outcomes.

Outside of scope:

n/a

Health Psychology (Senior Co-Editors Aleksandra Luszczynska & Cecilia Cheng)

Topics:

The Health Psychology office welcomes papers that focus on the development, implementation, and rigorous evaluation of innovative interventions, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches, mixed methods, health equity promotion, and contextual and cultural influences. Psychological research addressing outcomes related to health and health behaviors are of particular interest to the Health Psychology office.

Methods:

The Health Psychology office will consider papers employing mixed or quantitative methods, including meta-analyses.

Outside of scope:

Papers not grounded in psychological theory would be considered unsuitable for the Health Psychology office. Cross-sectional correlational studies using self-reported data only are typically not considered.

Medical Sociology (Senior Co-Editors Janet Shim & Karen Spencer)

Topics:

The Medical Sociology office welcomes papers that engage with and contribute to the sociological literature on health, illness, and healthcare. Papers may address a wide range of health-related topics, including the structural, institutional/organizational, and cultural contexts of health and illness; social determinants of health; and social aspects of healthcare and health systems.

Methods:

The Medical Sociology office welcomes manuscripts using a broad array of qualitative methods. Review and quantitative papers that are agenda-setting for medical sociology will also be considered.

Outside of scope:

n/a

Health Policy (Senior Co-Editors Justin Parkhurst & Winnie Yip)

Topics:

The Health Policy office welcomes papers that have a global orientation and bring rigorous theory and methods from social sciences to health policy and systems research. Of special interest are papers that address current policy debates affecting health and health systems, compare health politics and policies across countries and regions, and/or employ innovative theoretical perspectives.

Methods:

The Health Policy office will consider papers utilising a range of qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods.

Outside of scope:

n/a

Health Geography (Senior Editor Jamie Pearce)

Topics:

The Health Geography office welcomes papers that consider the role of place-based processes in explaining health and health-related experiences. This includes work on the social, cultural, political and environmental practices shaping the distribution, diffusion, and delivery of health and health care systems at a range of spatial scales, from the global to the local. We are interested in papers with the potential for policy and practice impact and to improve population health and reduce inequity.

Methods:

The Health Geography office will consider quantitative, qualitative as well as mixed methodological approaches.

Outside of scope:

n/a